Alida, do you have any photos of Ebb Tide? I would love to see someone's pics instead of the catalogs, etc. I wanted to get Ebb Tide but I'm not sure right now.
I'm going to back off on roses, we may be moving and I don't want to dig up too many.

Carla

I love Ebb Tide so far. Really purple, and really fragrant.

I like Ebb Tide, Paradise, Silverado, Shi-Un, Shocking Blue, Fragrant Plum, 777, Cardinal Richilieu (sp), and Blueberry Hill.

alameda - I think Stephens Big Purple is one of the seed parents of most of the new purple intros. Carruth seems not to hold any secrets to his breeding program, he uses the same seed and pollen parents over and over. Sweet Chariot and International Herald Tribune and Blue Nile are used over and over. I guess in hopes a real winner will emerge - in the mean time we buy these roses that may or may not prove garden worthy.

Ebb Tide seems to be a favorite of many posters here so I will not hesitate to try it. harryshoe - those are wonderful photos - I like the pic of Midnight Blue - how is the repeat bloom?

Purple (especially dark purple) is a difficult color to photograph, and perhaps, to achieve in roses??? Often they appear pink or a washed out lavender in bright sunlight. I'll rely on your expert opinions on color to make a decision.

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Wild Blue Yonder

This magenta color is NOT what the bloom looks like. I need a new camera!

Just for sake of completeness, does anyone grow the antique rose called Indigo?

I took the 1st of Ebb Tide at the test garden at Brooklyn Botanical Gardens 2 years ago it was in a shadier area than my garden the sun tends to bring up the red the 2nd shot was from last Summer. Wild Blue yonder was not my idea of purple either neither are lilac or lavender roses I have nothing against them but when i want purple I was purple. I have Midnight Blue comming this spring along with another Ebb Tide I rally like the fragrance. Some good shots on Helpmefind roses
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The same rose in may garden came off mor a deeper dark burgundy purple..yet 1 late bloom in Octorber which I didn't shoot was a truer purple
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Joe! Thanks to you and Hoov I may have my arm twisted to buy Ebb Tide. I love the photos.

Carla

For what its worth, Honey Perfume and Ebb Tide next to each other are really something! I am going to Houston tomorrow to rose shop, and plan to get 2 more of these.....the color combination really popped! Brought out the best in both. I really like Stephens Big Purple - interesting, linrose, to find it is a parent to some purples. Vintage has lots of mauves/lavenders, but the deep purples seem like they are just now starting to emerge - Rhapsody In Blue, Outta The Blue, Ebb Tide, Wild Blue Yonder.......wonder what the coming years will bring?

No one has mentioned Austin's The Prince. It is more purple than Ebb Tide.

'The Prince' does have a good purple quality.

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BC:)

How about an antique rose that frequently has purple tones to its petals?

Reine des Violettes, intoduced in France in the year 1860.
America was just preparing to bloody its own nose over the following five years in the American Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln was just elected as U.S. President around the time this rose was introduced.
A rose older that the Emancipation Proclamaton.
This rose has history ... and fragrance.

Randy

RdV:
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I have Indigo but it is new for me so I saw no blooms so far.

The Prince is very dark purple (mine are in a semi-shady spot so they do not bleach out) but none of the photos I took show the true color. Mine never is so close to red as they are on BC's photos. Tivoli has some very nice shots of the Prince.

Mirandy is purple in my yard; but then again my photos show this rose closer to dark pink than purple.

I cannot wait to see RdV this spring.

RdV was Graham Thomas's favorite rose, and he often commented upon how much closer to blue it was than anything released since.

Ceretum, I have RdV on order so I'm anxious to see it also.

Carla

RdV looks wonderful! How is the disease resistance?

RdV is more pink when it first opens but turns more mauve as it ages. Great rose. I wish I had room for it here. The only negative I can think of is each individual flower does not last very long.

There is one purple floribunda called Intrigue that I've seen in person that is more purple than pink. It is not a new introduction, however.

Here is a link that might be useful: Intrigue

linrose, because disease resistance is so varied from one region of the country to another, I rarely comment on it very much anymore. Almost a waste of time. For every comment I might make, there will be an equal number of comments to the opposite in someone else's garden. But since you asked, in my garden, RdV is very healthy. Its matte blue/green leaves are a strong point for me. It does not get any appreciable blackspot until very late in the fall. And even then, it isn't a particulary bad case of it compared to many other roses. I don't spray. In a place with different fungal pressures, such as the mid-Atlantic blackspot hell, my comments on BS resistance in NorthCentral Texas would be useless.

Randy

I'm a sucker for those purple roses. I have Night Owl, Ebb Tide, and Rhapsody in Blue. International Herald Tribune, although classed as a mauve, is also very dark

Randy - nice to know the RdV is fairly healthy - I like that the foliage is interesting also. I don't spray either, while I'm not in the mid-Atlantic we do have high BS pressures here also, but I believe a different strain. We tend to have drought-like conditions for most of July and August which I believe suppresses the little fungus devils a bit. I tolerate quite of bit of BS - up to half defoliation if I can disguise the bottom half with other plants. I still keep my R. glauca even though it completely defoliates every year (although not to blackspot so I've learned.) Sentimental I guess.

I just caved and bought Ebb Tide. I'll probably get RdV also. I think I have a place for both of them if I SP (or relocate) Veilchenblau.

Keep those purple rose reviews coming!

I like "Outta the Blue", which we grow, but I don't love it. The bush is healthy and reasonably well foliaged. I would prefer that the blooms had less red. I do like shrub roses, but to my eyes this just misses being something special. Other gardeners, which have never seen "Reine des Violettes" tend to be enthusuatic about it.
2. "Ebb Tide" deep purple, very fragrant. The blooms are nice enough but our plant is gawky, with few laterals. For the front of our border "Vinyard Song" would have been a better choice. I'm quite amused by its' international code; "MORgrapes".
3. "Heirloom" H.T., Nice non-exhibition form, good but moderate fragrace. Petal edges turn red-mauve in full sun.
Older mauves.
1. "Reine des Violettes" is by far, my favorite purple rose. I adore this rose, and would like to see hybridizers use it for breeding modern roses.
2. "Veilchenbleu" (blue veil) Rambler. Even more than my birthday in June, I look forward to seeing "Veilchenblue" in bloom with its' hundreds and thousands of small violet roses. Utterly charming.

For reasons unknown, "Intrigue" failed to thrive in 3 gardens under good conditions where other roses thrived.

Lux.

Intrigue Is my fav purple. It has the sweetest nicest smell of all my roses. But it is fighting a case of the BS because i got its leaves to wet from trying to make it grow faster. HeHe

Linrose, forgive me for posting another pic on your discussions thread, but I wanted you to see what 'Reine des Violettes' foliage looks like. It's very much a part of what makes this rose so special to me. I have never grown another rose that had leaves that looked like this. Once I began growing RdV, the shiny, glossy leaves on modern roses began to look odd to me.

Peggy was correct in that RdV blooms do not last a really long time, but for me they do at least last two or three days on the bush before they fall cleanly to the ground without a single touch of any browning. It's not a rose for cutting. One of the best things about RdV is that although it is fully-petaled, while many of my other roses are balling in the spring, RdV blooms are popping open effortlessly and flawlessly. Can you tell I like this rose?

Luxrosa, I also used to grow 'Outta the Blue'. It's a fine rose, and I do like it very much, especially its fragrance. I always thought I'd probably get another one some day. Until I began growing RdV. So, I agree with you totally.

Randy

Matte blue/green leaves on arching, thornless canes ... 'Reine des Violettes'
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I just added RdV and Veil. I already have Ebb Tide and the Prince. I also have Melody Parfum, which has excellent purple color.

I had some late blooms on Mr. Lincoln this year and brought them in the house. They turned a lovely amethyst color, but it would not come through in a picture.

... I should clarify ... "thornless" if you purchase it from the right source (my thornless specimen is from The Antique Rose Emporium). Some vendors are selling a very beautiful, but thorny imposter under the name of RdV.

Randy

These Austins are really purple and beautiful:

The Prince
Tradescant
Falstaff

The tea Francis Dubreuil is also a good purple.

These hybrid Perpetuals are among my favorite purple roses:

Alfred Colomb:

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Empereur du Maroc:

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Sovenir D Alphonse Lavalle:

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Souvenir du Dr jamain:

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The portland rose Pergolese is a real gem too:

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A New Hybrid tea is rich purple too but probably not available in USA yet:

Jorianda:

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Route 66 is a scented purple shrub rose from Tom Carruth that is vigorous and healthy in my garden. I have no idea how it would like your climate, however.

I will put a link to the HelpMeFind photos below -- click on thumbnails for enlargement and on "Rose" tab for the description:

Here is a link that might be useful: Route 66 photos

Is it just me or what? Most of the above pics, while showing beautiful roses, do not appear "purple" to me. They hover somewhere between a purplish-pink/magenta/burgandy. Evidently "purple" still has to be very loosely defined in terms of roses yet?

Kate

You're right Kate. Purple is really a dream. Midnight Blue can get close here. I do love purple. Maybe that's why I let the violas naturalize all over my property.

Sweet Chariot (mini) is purple.

I really like the look of Souvenir d'Alphonse.....(sp?) that Cup-shaped posted. WOW - what a beauty!

Carol

Many OGRs are really purple.
In addition to RdV that was already mentioned, Belle de Crecy and Captain John Ingram are true purples. I am not sure pictures can do them justice, but they are really purple in life.

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Jenny Duval is purple too but not always, she has many faces.

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Olga

In my opinion, the most "purple" rose so far has to be RHAPSODY IN BLUE.

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Sometimes it's hard to capture the purple of a rose in a digital camera. My Prince always comes out red in pictures, even though to my eye it appears purple.

Not a new introduction, but my favourite purple is Indigo. It's pinker in very hot weather, but, for me, has by far the best repeat of my Portland roses and virtually no disease in my garden. I also like Rhapsody in Blue, but, here again, the colour can vary with the temperature, the last photo was taken in autumn when it is always a much deeper colour.

Both have lovely scents.

Indigo:-

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Rhapsody in Blue:-

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For hybrid tea form I like LAGERFELD. Not purple but a beautiful silvery lavender and a whole lot easier to grow than Sterling Silver.

But my favorite purple rose of all time is REINE DES VIOLETTES. Breathtakingly beautiful rose.

I like Purple Heart. It blows fast but has a nice fragrance and is a pretty purple color.

I got Midnight blue last spring. I was positively underwhelmed. It is very dark even in full sun but the blooms became charcoal grey in my climate and shuttered fast. Disease Resistance? Hm, which catalog stated that? I know I read it somewhere. MB is not disease (spot) resistant in the east coast.

Gorgeous photos everyone!
I love the purples. I added Indigo, RdV, Intrigue, Perfume Perfection and Cardinal De Richelieu to the purples I already have, Falstaff, Wild Blue Yonder, Intrigue and Heirloom. Here in the Pac NW Mr Lincoln even gets kind of purple. I'm contemplating Nite Owl and Rhapsody In Blue..........

I have Ebb Tide and Purple Tiger--neither are new, but I LOVE Ebb Tide! It's form has really improved this year and it has a wonderful fragrance. I know Purple Tiger is a purple striped rose and has gotten a bad rap--but I got it for $3 last year at Lowes and thought I would take on the challenge. I was shocked at how much I liked this rose. It bloomed a lot and stayed healthy. This year will be a true test--so the jury's still out. I know it can be BS prone. I may eat my words by the end of the season... :)

Anyway--Ebb Tide seems to be a great rose! I think the blooms are just going to keep improving with age.

Denise

My best Purples are - Purple Passion HT -J&P. It has a lemon scent to it and is a great cutting rose.
Mr. Lincoln - Yes, I know it should be considered red, but not so in my garden.
Intrigue - Bit the dust, varmits got the roots. blooms in two flushes. Deep grape color.
Etoile De Holland - China climber - Love this rose! It has relaxed form and blooms non stop!
I know only Purple Passion is fairly new but I understand your search.
Daun
Daun

Wow, Cupshapedroses, I love your Alfred Colomb. It is such a nice contrast with the dark bloom and the lighter foliage.
Olga, your Jenny Duval is lovely. I looked it up and it says only as warm as zone 8, phewy.
Lovely pics everyone, thanks.
Nancy

Correction - I meant to say Cramoisi Superior - China Climber.
Daun

Oh, if you're willing to consider old roses you should go to the Antique Rose forum and ask about purple roses! At the very least you should plant Cardinal de Richelieu! It only blooms once a year (it's classed as a Gallica), but oooooh, what an intriguing mix of purples (mixed with a hint of really, really dark crimson and also a fair amount of gray on the petals' backsides)!

I have Cardinal de Richelieu in my front yard. The dark purple blossoms are gorgeous. Too bad it only blooms once each year. Mine has been in the ground for 8 years now. The blossoms come only on the SW corner of the bush. The rest of the bush, however, tries to take over the garden. Huge, thick branches, lots of thorns. I cut it back several times each year. The first year it bloomed, I got the dark purple flowers on the one side, and white flowers on the north side of the bush. Same flower shape, different colors. The white blossoms haven't returned.

I plant my mauve/purple roses among yellow and apricot shades, with a liberal dollop of white yarrow. Dreamy.
I love the colors of Angelface and Heirloom, but my favorite is Reine des Violettes.

Long Live the Queen.

This is a great topic. My whole garden is based on purples.

I have been really tempted to try Night Owl. Can anyone give a little more detail, maybe pics, on this one?

Harryshoe - always happy to see someone praising Angel Face - one of my faves, but much maligned. The more I see of it, the more I realize what a great rose it is. Few are as fragrant, beautiful, or floriferous. I'm just waiting for terrible disease to hit mine. I don't spray, as a general rule, but I'm ok with spraying ONE incredible rose. Some years my plums require spraying, but I wouldn't give them up.

One feature of Cardinal de Richelieu that is rarely mentioned is the way the blossoms age. They seem to pull in on themselves, fading to a very dramatic gray lavendar as they get smaller, and the petals don't shatter for a very long time - so if you pick a full one early, and take care to recut and keep it in good water, you could have a "multigenerational" arrangement of young buds, prime blooms, and geriatric reminders - I love this rose. (I am in the geriatric category, myself, a grandmother twice, perhaps that's why I like to see the range of beauty here.)

my favorite is Love potion!

Here is a link that might be useful: pictures of roses

I gave in to the picture and got a Night Owl this spring. I will take pictures when it blooms (I just received it a couple of days ago). It probably won't make it thru our winter - though I can always hope!

I have a purple flower bed so that has purple passion, angel face, purple tiger,and ebb tide. I also have blue girl. Angel face is my favorite but blue girl is great too.

I agree with everyone else so far on purple tiger. It has a crappy bush. Leaves yellow, brown spots, doesn't grow well for no reason. It has great blooms though...lol My ebb tide will be blooming soon along with the purple tiger so I will let you know then.